The Early November - 12.20.11

It seemed like Christmas had come early when The Early November announced a new album. Ace and Jeff got to answer a few of our questions and we cannot be more excited for the band's future. Going forward, who knows what the band will do?Thanks to Ace and Jeff for answering our questions.

The Early November is back to some degree. I think my first question is, why now?

Jeff: My decision to move forward is based on the fact that I'm confident our group can make a great record. We didn't necessarily plan to get back together at this point in our lives. It just happened to work itself out that way. Some of it had to do with the fact that our first show back was incredible. We teased the idea of doing a record when we started talking about doing a reunion show but nothing was set in stone. I think we saw first hand that people still genuinely care about this band. I think that may have helped sway some opinions.

Reunions tend to be a fickle things among bands nowadays. How have you observed other bands handle reunions and how do you plan to go forward with that stigma with TEN?

Ace: To be completely honest, I don't really pay attention to that stuff. I'm doing this because I love it. We love it and it feels great. So why should we worry about the details like stigmas.

After TEN went on break, most of the band went on to work in other facets of the industry. How has this helped with handling the resurgence of TEN and making decisions regarding the band?

Jeff: We were thrown into this business at a young age and made a lot of decisions based on fear. Now that we've all been through some shit, we look at what we have in front of us a bit differently. We finally have the privilege to be selective with our decisions while making sure they are in the best interest of the band.

I remember at the NJ show that Ace had a pretty interesting story of how the idea of getting back together happen. Care to share?

Ace: I was in the shower trying to remember a old TEN b-side. Immediately after, I got a phone call from Jeff where he brought up the idea of doing a show. It all just sort of clicked from that point on and really naturally, one thing lead to the next.

With how trendy music can be, do you think it will be a challenge to gain new fans after being gone for so long and a new generation of kids not knowing about TEN since you guys weren't active?

Jeff: I think it will be difficult. This band was special to people because we connected with them at a certain time in their life. You cant purposely re-create records that have that type of effect on people. I look at this band in two different ways...as a member and as a fan. I think I know what the long-time fans want. I think it's important to keep that in mind when making an album but not let it consume you. We can only hope that we grab some newbs in the process.

Is there a certain benchmark that you're looking for to see if TEN will be something you'd want to continue after the new album?

Jeff: Not exactly. This is exciting for us right now and I'd like to keep it that way. I don't have any expectations. The only thing I want to do is make a killer record. If everything still feels good after that, we're gonna run with it.
What do you see as the biggest challenge going forward with the band?

Jeff: We all have crazy schedules. Managing what we do as a band is difficult. We're handling it well right now but it's only going to get harder once we release this record. As long as we communicate with each other like we've been doing, we'll be in great shape. I think it's important that we maintain control of this ship. Communication is key and we're doing a better job of it now than we ever have.

Is there anything you want to say to the fans or clear up so that there are no misconceptions or rumors that could be started?

Jeff: I'm not getting back into this for the money, people...I'm in it for the drugs.

Do you see Rise as a new "Drive Thru" in that they are the pioneer in pushing a genre of music to the forefront?

Ace: I don't usually like to compare things like that considering the amounts of work that each label put in to create their individual companies and brands. That being said, there are a few similarities, mainly in just how popular each label is or was and how devoted the fan-base is. Which is a really special thing.

This pleases me. I am happy beyond words. I'm so happy they finally got back together. As a long time die hard fan, I appreciate this and knew it had to come. What fan doesn't want this to happen when one of their favorite band dies and you're left there thinking "fuck. now what?"